


The Questionable Brothers

by Sailingfreely



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Brotherhood, Cute funny with mentioned sad past but not so much, Domestic, Fluff and Crack, Jaehyun is bratty and annoying, Johnny has the hot for Taeyong but then..., Johnny heard strange noises, Johnny's POV, M/M, No incest bcs that shit is a big fckn no, Self-Indulgent, Taeil is a tease and i love his character so much, Taeyong is well... Super confused, This story is basically a joke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 02:37:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20771141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sailingfreely/pseuds/Sailingfreely
Summary: Johnny Suh, a traveler who never like to stay at one place, might have stumbled upon a good cafe owned by hilarious and weird brothers.Maybe he stayed because one of the brother caught his attention, but there's something weird about the second brother and the youngest one, Taeyong and Jaehyun. What's with them? Johnny thought.





	The Questionable Brothers

**Author's Note:**

> First thing first, I'm sorry about the horrible English, I'll try to edit it when I could!
> 
> Don't worry incest disgust me. You'll see in the story what's the deal is ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> The story revealed from Johnny's point of view 👀
> 
> For the sake of the story let's make it that Taeil's name is Lee Taeil lol.
> 
> PS:
> 
> This story was an old story of mine under different username (ReapJewelfish) in different platform (aff) of different pairing. If you're unsure or suspicious, please do communicate with me first before accusing without proof, thank you.

So it seems that city is not good for him. All the mixed smell, pollution, noises, traffic and jams of people passing around, it just too much for him. Johnny has been travelling all around Korea for three weeks now, saving as much money as he can so he’s been wandering around mainly by public transportation or walking by foot, _backpackers_. He’s been going around mainly in the countryside, but somehow now he arrived in Seoul, the big city.

It didn’t take long for him to hate the place, considering the main reason of his travelling is to avoid human’s mass, Seoul is nightmare for him. Though he can’t deny that the city has it perks too, more convenient there rather than a secluded country side. But that’s it, he prefer the fresh, quiet nature areas where he could taste the crisp air in his lungs.

But maybe there is another thing he came to like about the city. He got to meet _that someone_¸ the cute kind guy who offered him peppermint candies when he was coughing non stop in the train. It might be not much, but most people didn’t give a shit or even glance –_and when they did it was only to throw disapproval looks_\- at his suffering with eternal coughing fit, yet the cute kind guy did. The guy didn’t even look bothered or pissed by the fact that he was standing in front of Johnny and he was most probably get drenched by his spit.

He was smiling widely cute while offering the out of breath Johnny with candies, not minding the latter was unable to say thank you because he was too out of it due to coughing. As if it was not nice enough, the cute guy even patted Johnny’s back gently until he has to get off and waved good bye with another adorable smile. _How cute was that?_

Well, even though Johnny is smitten for that guy, still it’s almost impossible to ever have another chance to meet again. So he thought rather than staying in the hellish city and wandering around searching for the guy, he chose to go to the city peripheral where it’s less crowded with people. It’s a bit sad for him to never be able to say _thanks_ to the guy, but oh well that’s life.

Johnny inhales deeply, feeling the cold and fresh air of the place rather than the one at the city, a smile adorning his face. Even though he’s hungry and the water in his bottle is depleting, somehow he’s feeling light and happy strolling the road of certain neighborhood, glancing around. Until he caught eye of a busy cafe ahead of him, quite a contrast in the relatively empty road.

  
_The Lee’s Café_

  
What kind of café? Despite the shop is small, it's busy with a lot of customers. Most of the customers send to be women, but there also a few old folks and children too. It looked cozy and warm with pastel colors, the way the customers interacting with the staffs seems familiar and comfortable. Maybe because the café located in the middle of neighborhood, the customers are mostly regulars.

Johnny lean in his head, peeking inside while contemplating if he should get something to eat or buy some water there. As he eyed the interior he was pleasantly surprised, it was simple and decorated with artsy photographs on the walls, good ambiance filling the air with big windows and beautiful wooden floor. What surprised him was the plushies in some cabinets and the ones which hanging on the wall, they're adorable and creates a cute yet homey atmosphere.

_What a cute café_, Johnny thought with eyes darting all around, amazed of how the cute plushies didn’t give off a childish taste, but more like family oriented. And damn of Johnny don't love plushies, they're one of his passions beside photography, the cafe is almost like finding a treasure box for him.

“Can I help you?”

Johnny jolted backward, startled by the sudden deep voice coming from beside him, butt fell to the cold hard asphalt road while his eyes snapped up to a guy who seem surprised.

“Ow…” he hissed pathetically as his hand instinctively rubbing his pained back.

“Are you alright? I’m very sorry sir, I didn’t mean to surprise you,” the guy rushed to Johnny’s side trying to help.

“No, no it’s my fault…” he hissed again as he’s standing up with the guy’s help, clearing his throat with a bit of shame. “I… Uh, I was looking if there is any vacant seat… That was, uh… Yeah,” Johnny is coughing nervously trying to explain why he’s behaving suspiciously by peeking at the café.

The guy then assuring Johnny with a smile, flashing dimples on his slightly chubby cheeks, “yes, there are seats inside. Are you alone? I’ll bring you to the table and a free chiffon cake as an apology for surprising you.”

Johnny instantly nodded due to the bright. gentle smile which displayed to him, gulping as he find the man looked handsome and sweet. He wondered if the city filled with good looking guys, that way he will have a harder time to leave the place and that is definitely not good for his travelling plan.

Yhe second he step into the café though, he wondered if he could _ever_ leave the café.

“Jae, could you please bring this order to table seven?” another guy in waiter suit standing not too far away from them, and Johnny almost forgot how to breathe as the face is so _familiar_. Of course, it’s the guy from the train.

It felt like a loud symphony playing in Johnny’s head as he thought what fate has brought them to meet again, was the city too small –_of course not_\- or they’re simply destined to meet again. He didn’t even realize that he’s been staring at the slim, shorter guy in front of him, while the previous waiter already going back to him after putting the order to table seven.

A hand waved in front of his face, it was the guy with the dimpled smile, “sir? Are you okay?”

“Is there something on my face…?” the guy with cute smile asked with an uneasy face.

“Oh,” Johnny croaked as his throat feels dry, “sorry…”

The guy in front of him then narrowed his eyes, “you know… I have a feeling that I know you.”

“_Yes!_” Johnny exclaimed in excitement, “it’s me! The guy from the train, do you remember?”

“Ah! The coughing man!” the guy clapped his hands equally excited, “what a coincidence to see you again! Are you alright now?”

Johnny is smiling sheepishly, “yes I’m fine now, thank you for the candies, they really helped me.”

“I’m glad to hear that, come on in, let me take you to your seat,” the guy gestured Johnny politely to get inside the café.

“So you work here?” Johnny grinned giddily trying not to look like a stalker.

“Oh, this is mine and my brothers' café,” the guy smiling adorably looking a bit proud.

“Do you know each other?” a voice heard and Johnny turn to the side to realize that the guy with dimpled smile is actually still there with them.

“Oh right, I’m Taeyong by the way,” the guy with cute smile holding up his hand for Johnny to shake, “this is my younger brother, Jaehyun. Jaehyun, he’s the guy I met on train.”

“I’m Johnny, Johnny Suh,” he said shaking Taeyong’s hand and about to shake Jaehyun’s when he noticed a deep frown on the younger brother’s face.

“Jaehyun,” he said and Johnny didn’t fail to notice the ill tone in his voice. The younger turned to the older brother, “you rarely remember people you met randomly outside the house, how come you remember him?”

Taeyong sighed visibly, “of course I remember him, he was having a hard time and it’s obviously hard to forget that gorgeous face, right?”

“_Uh_…” Johnny could only lower his gaze, blushing at the praise.

“Whatever,” Jaehyun walks away after glaring intimidatingly at Johnny.

“I’m sorry about my brother, he’s always like that,” Taeyong slightly bowing to Johnny with an apologetic smile.

“No it’s okay, maybe he’s tired, the café look busy,” though he’s a bit surprised since Jaehyun was very polite and smiling sweetly to him only a few minutes ago.

“Oh yeah, it’s always quite busy at this time of the day. We have three people on the floor, but maybe it’s not quite enough.”

“Three people?”

“Right, there is also my older brother, Taeil, working in the café,” Taeyong pointing at another guy with waiter suit near the coffee bar.

“So the café operated by three brothers…” Johnny eyeing the short male with cute face, thinking how these brothers are all very good looking.

“Yep. May I take your order?”

“Actually…” Johnny cleared his throat, “can I work here?”

  
-#-

  
“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“Jae, _language_,” Taeyong warned sternly.

“I won’t approve of him working with us!”

“Is something the matter with him? He’s cute and when I interviewed him, he seems decent,” Taeil clearly siding with Taeyong.

“Right, do you have any reasons why you don’t want him to work with us?”

Jaehyun glared at Johnny who is in turn could only look away without saying anything.

“I don’t like him, that’s it,” Jaehyun gritted his teeth.

“Why are you being like this…?” Taeyong sighed, “anyway, you have no saying in this, so you better accept the fact that he’s with us now.”

“I won’t, never,” Jaehyun snarled, “and why I have no saying here?!”

“Because it’s Taeil hyung’s and my money.”

“Why do you need another worker anyway?! Aren’t I enough?” he whined not knowing when to give up.

“You won’t always be here, in a few days your college’s break will end, so of course we need another help when you’re out.”

“That’s right…” Taeil leisurely sipping his tea.

“And that’s why I told you I did rather help the café rather than going to college! That way the money can be used for the café too!”

“We are not talking about this again,” Taeyong said with a low voice, it’s clear to see that he’s running out of patience now.

“Taeyong!”

“That’s _hyung_ for you,” he said turning his back to Jaehyun, which earning a loud bang from the younger’s anger to the table, before he run away into the house which connected by a door in the back of the café’s kitchen.

“You shouldn’t use the ‘_hyung_’ word…” Taeil muttered, continue sipping his tea as calm as ever.

“That’s the only way to stop him,” Taeyong sighed deeply, making Johnny wonder of how much the guy had been sighing in just one day, “I’m sorry you got to see that Johnny, but I hope you’re not changing your mind for working with us…”

“Oh it’s okay, though it’s kind of makes me nervous but I still wish to work with you.”

“Don’t wory, he’ll eventually opening up to you,” Taeil said with a big smile on his face.

_Right_, he certainly hope so, but with the hostile glares Jaehyun had been throwing at him, it certainly almost impossible. Why did the guy hate him so much though?

  
-#-

  
Johnny had been working in the café for almost a week now, to say that Jaehyun slowly warming up to him is… like saying he got a dinosaur as a pet, exactly utter bullshit. The fact is the youngest brother was getting worse by each day. At first the guy only glaring or hissing at him, but now he won’t be so discreet at pushing or bumping on him harshly whenever they encounter each other, made worse because the café is not wide enough for Johnny to be able to avoid him.

_Really, is the guy an elementary kid or something?_

He can’t do anything about it, so he’ll always shrug it off and go on with his work. Taeyong and Taeil would always pat him encouragingly every time Jaehyun being extremely _bitchy_ toward him. Seven out of ten encouragements came from Taeyong, needless to say Johnny was very happy to the point he had hope for Jaehyun to bully him in front of Taeyong. It took another few days for Johnny to realize that Jaehyun started to bully him whenever Taeyong wasn’t looking.

  
“What is your name, young man?” an old lady asked when Johnny placing the order on her table.

“I’m Johnny ma’am,” he’s smiling the business smile.

“You see, I’ve been a regular here for so many years, ever since those boys were still snotty little kids. I often come here just to see them, it’s cute to see how close they are, a good family indeed,” she chuckled briefly while inspecting Johnny’s face, “I must say ever since you’re working here, I got the feeling that the café is getting more energetic. Oh, there is also this spark between you and the youngest, he’s such an overprotective child…”

“What do you mean ma’am?”

“Oh you don’t realize it? Jaehyun doesn't like it when a stranger get too close with his brothers, he was always acting like an overprotective brother. There was even a time when the older brothers unable to date anyone because of him, it’s cute really… He would chase out all those girls, snarling here and there, yelling about how the brothers are his and no one can have them,” she laughed softly at the memory.

_Oops_, instantly came into Johnny’s mind, _did that guy somehow aware of me trying to woo his brother, Taeyong?_

“Or was it only Taeyong…?” the old lady titling her head in confusion, “I remember Taeil dated this girl… and he was okay with it, I guess it was Taeyong he’s most protective about.”

_Great, to know that I’ve been trying to get his favorite brother, of course he’s being a total jerk_, Johnny grimaced at the fact.

“Keep up your good work Johnny-shi, he’ll come around when he realize you’re a good person, and thank you for listening this old lady,” she smiled while patting Johnny’s arm.

“Certainly ma’am, it’s my pleasure,” he smiled back and walk to the bar,_ I don’t think he’ll come around as long as I fancy his favorite brother._

“Hey, I saw that you were talking to Mrs. Yoojin,” Taeyong patted his back, startling Johnny a bit.

“Yes, is that not okay?”

“It’s good, she’s been our customer ever since we’re just out of diapers," he snorted cutely, how does whatever he did is cute? "She’s lonely since her family relationship is not exactly good, so we always talk to her whenever we had a chance, I bet she’s glad to have another person to talk to.”

“I see, it’s nice talking to her…”

“Please don’t tell me she was telling you about our past,” Taeyong’s eyebrows jerked up as his eyes widened in mock fear.

“Yeah, she definitely did,” Johnny grinned much to Taeyong's devastation.

“No way, that’s embarrassing… You have to forget it!”

“How can I forget it? I heard it already, it wasn’t bad.”

“No, erase it from your head!”

“Okay I will, but you have to give me something,” he smirked, thinking of how to take his _chance _with Taeyong.

“What?”

“I want you to-“

_BANG!_

Both of them jolted at the loud sound, snapping their heads to the bar where the sound came from. Jaehyun is standing there with an angry and reddened face, hand on the counter and Johnny know there was exactly where the loud sound came from.

“Johnny, shouldn’t you be doing orders from table three, seven and nine?” he hissed with eyes evidently glinting dangerously.

Without saying anything Johnny hurried to do the orders, not wanting to risk more when Jaehyun being the way he was. He knows when he saw a murderous glare, okay?

“What are you doing? You’re scaring the customers banging on the table like that!” Taeil rushed to the bar with concerned expression.

“Sorry, I tripped,” Jaehyun answered as he's walking away to another table to apologize and taking more order.

Taeyong could only sigh once again for the nth times and Taeil shaking his head in disbelief.

Not long after that, Johnny finding himself serving the customers alone with Taeil. Since the coffee machine was something he couldn’t use yet and it’s impossible for Taeil to make coffee and serving the customers at the same time, Johnny had to search for either Taeyong or Jaehyun to help.

He found the two of them together in the back of the kitchen, Taeyong was cradling the younger brother's head while the latter was burying his face and clutching to the older brother. It was intimate and tense, Johnny is wondering if something bad happened. Maybe Jaehyun is sick, in a bad mood or something? Taeyong always seems to baby him, it’s no wonder Jaehyun became so clingy and possessive towards the older brother.

Johnny decided to wait for a little bit before calling them, walking away from the kitchen only to find Taeil coming in with a tray of dirty dishes. The moment the oldest brother saw what the two younger brothers of him are doing, he glanced to Johnny and winking with a big grin.

_What the hell?_ Whatever the wink was about Johnny decided to go back serving the customers again. There are questions rising in the back of his mind.

  
-#-

  
“Come on, just one dinner is all I ask from you,” a deep sweet voice said seductively from a sexy tall man with toned body. If the man wasn't in the middle of flirting with his _crush_, Johnny had to admit he would be drooling big time at that fine man.

“And I said to you over and over again, I can’t Lucas. I’m busy with the café, you should ask someone else, about time don’t you think?” Taeyong answered still with a warm smile.

“No matter if it’s a year or more, I would still yet to ask you out,” the Lucas guy grabbed Taeyong’s wrist.

“Dear me, what should I do with you…” the man of interest sighed in defeat and Johnny thought this is the right time to intervene, but of course there is always a certain someone who is faster than him.

“_Your coffee Lucas_,” Jaehyun said curtly not bothering to use formality as he placed a cup of coffee on the table, “and please hands off of what’s mine.”

Lucas chuckled as his hand was pried off from Taeyong’s wrist in not so gentle way, Johnny saw all of that with a gaping mouth, thinking if he did heard it right.

Did Jaehyun really said that Taeyong is _his_? Isn’t that a bit too much even for a brother?

“You’re cute…” Lucas said with a smug smile towards the youngest brother, “but you are forgetting he will get married in the future while you’ll always remain _only_ his brother.”

Jaehyun’s eyes darken and in a split second he was about to charge into Lucas, but Taeyong was faster than him, grabbing his shoulder and dragging him away.

“_Jae!_ Geez, calm yourself will you?” Taeyong hold Jaehyun tightly and hushing gently, “come on, why are you being like this lately?”

Johnny didn’t fail to notice of how Jaehyun’s eyes getting teary as he's clutching on Taeyong like what he did few days ago in the kitchen, the older then dragging him to the back of the café leaving a confused Johnny and sulky Lucas.

“Really that kid, being so possessive like that, can that even be called as brotherly love anymore?” Lucas muttered tiredly before sipping on his coffee.

“Or maybe you can stop harassing Taeyong.”

Lucas halted, jerking up an eyebrow at Johnny judgingly, “you are the new worker right? Like you have the right to talk when you’re literally _drooling_ at the sight of him.”

“Why don’t you get someone else? You’re good enough for it.”

“Don’t tell me you meant yourself,” he chuckled mockingly, “I was seducing Jaehyun at first, but it was because of him that I got interested in Taeyong.”

“How did seducing him got you interested in Taeyong? From a brother to the other brother? Isn’t that twisted?” Johnny frowned at the explanation.

“He told me that he can only love Taeyong, isn’t that more twisted? I mean, I already knew by then that they’re brothers, so how could he said that? I thought maybe he was trying to fool me into thinking that Taeyong is not his brother but instead his lover, so I let him be and was watching them from afar. Ended up with me falling over Taeyong, but what shocked me wasn’t that, but the fact that Jaehyun really is attached to his brother more than it’s allowed.”

“What do you mean allowed?”

“They are brothers stupid, do you think brothers would kiss each other? Or gazing at each other intimately? They got too much skinship even as a brother, seriously, didn’t you feel the tension between them? Or at least from Jaehyun?”

Johnny gaped with wide eyes, “kiss each other…?”

“Well, just a peck on the cheek or something,” Lucas shrugged.

Johnny rolled his eyes, “or maybe you were being a drama queen, what I saw wasn’t at all like what you said, okay maybe I found them a bit intimate too, but hey what’s the deal? Maybe they are just that close to do things like that. It’s not weird to see siblings who got along well.”

“You don’t have sibling do you?” Lucas asked with a deep frown.

“No…”

“Well, for me as I have a sister, no matter how I love her and disliking all her boyfriends, I would never say it out loud, that's just weird dude. And I would definitely not kiss her, on the cheek, eyes or forehead or wherever, maybe on some occasions but other than that it just… ew,” Lucas make a disgusted face as he’s standing up and walking out the café after putting some money.

Johnny froze on his feet, looking at the table like it’s the most interesting thing in the world as his mind went miles away, processing all the information.

_So… What did Lucas trying to imply? That those brothers are having a… forbidden relationship?_

“Hey,” a cold voice jolting Johnny out from his reverie, it was Jaehyun with a somewhat angry face, “what are you doing staring at the table? Clean it slowpoke!”

_Right, one time of being clueless on operating the coffee beans grinder gained me a ‘_slowpoke_’ nickname_, Johnny grimaced as Jaehyun bumped on him hard causing his shirt to get soiled by leftover coffee on the table nearby.

_Look at him, he’s mean and a jerk, but hey look at his face! No I’m not commenting on his handsome face, but the angelic features of his face. Okay yeah, he’s not exactly angelic and maybe a bit evil, annoying the hell out of me everyday, but he never go too far at it. One look and you will know he’s the sort of innocent guy, he’s being a jerk just because he loves his brothers too much, so how can you suspect him to have that sort of relationship with his brother? Hell, I think he never even fuck anyone with that naïve face. There is no way he’s engaging those kind of relationship… right?_

“What are you looking at idiot?” Jaehyun snarled at Johnny who didn’t move an inch and keep staring at him, “is your brain got broken or something?”

Johnny hissed at Jaehyun’s serious expression, afraid that he'll do something undesirable to him. He decided to go to Taeil, because whenever he’s close to the oldest brother Jaehyun would leave him alone –there is this one time he chose to go to Taeyong and that resulted in Jaehyun pretending to massaged his shoulder only to press really _hard_ right where it hurt.

“Having a hard time?” Taeil smiled while munching on a gum.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing with my life,” Johnny grumbled earning a hearty laugh from Taeil.

“Well, sorry our younger brother is too hardheaded, maybe you can ask for a pay raise from Tae for the extra work Jae have been giving you, he’s the one doing the financial.”

“Speaking of pay raise… I want to ask you something, do you know any cheap accommodation around here? They're too expensive just like how you would expect it in the big city and I’m low on money to stay another night at my current place.”

“How cheap?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter if the place is rundown or something, at least I got a bed to sleep on,” Johnny shrugged.

“That desperate huh?” Taeil continue to munch on the gum, eyes glancing up and down Johnny almost judgingly, “well, why don’t you stay with us? As a live in worker.”

Johnny’s eyes and mouth instantly open wide in shock, “what, really?! You can do that??”

“Of course I can, but you have to ask Tae first, the man of the house is him.”

“But you’re the oldest…?”

“Well, I’m more of a free spirited person, Tae is the brain and Jae is the brawn of the family, so… yeah,” he shrugged.

“Isn’t that irresponsible?”

“Nope, I’m still the king but all the works done by the councilors, right?” he grinned smugly. “Now go on, ask Tae,” Taeil waved his hand as if he’s shooing Johnny.

  
-#-

  
“No! No! No! _NO!_”

Johnny had to close his ears as the loud voice was too much to bear, amazed at how Taeyong and Taeil didn’t even flinch. Yes, it was Jaehyun who was shouting. Reason? Of course because of Johnny being a live in worker.

“What do you mean by that anyway?!” Jaehyun shrieked as he’s denying to understand.

“Meaning he will stay with us,” Taeil explained with his usual indifferent face.

“He will live with us, that’s all… And he also agreed to help us with some house chores,” Taeyong added patiently.

“We don’t need that! We were doing fine with the house chores without him, so why now?!”

“Jae, he’s having a hard time right now, so let’s just help him, okay?”

“See? He was a stranger a few days ago, and now he’s suddenly living with us, I know he’ll start to invade your heart from now on!” Jaehyun screamed which clenching Johnny’s heart because it sounds so desperate.

“_Jaehyun!_” Taeyong shouted with apparent rage, silencing whatever voices in the room.

“Oops…” Taeil whispered in the intense silence, Taeyong not calling Jaehyun with ‘Jae’ is not a good sign.

After a while of dreading silence Taeyong sighed tiredly, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have shouted like that… You’ve been so difficult to handle recently.”

“Where will he’s staying at?” Jaehyun muttered.

“He will be staying at the guest room beside my bedroom, you guys on the second floor right, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Taeil explained to devastated Jaehyun, somehow that little bit of information lifting up a bit of the Jaehyun's mood.

Taeyong walked closer to the youngest, brushing his hair with his fingers gently, “okay Jae?”

Jaehyun stares at the older for a while before eventually nodding his head reluctantly, hugging Taeyong tightly with his eyes wet with tears, “okay…”

To say Johnny perplexed at the scene is an understatement, seriously, was all the drama really necessary? He knows Jaehyun hate him, but this is just _too absurd_ for him.

“Confused?” Taeil asked with one eyebrow jerked up when Taeyong give Jaehyun a peck on the forehead. Okay, it’s fine for brothers to do that, but not when they are in their twenties no matter how they have six years age gap.

“Believe me when I say I’ve never been this confused before…”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to see even more confusing things from now on,” Taeil chuckled when he’s standing up to help Johnny bring in his luggage.

Johnny shuddered at the implication, “should I be worried?”

“Oh I think you will get used to it, don’t worry,” Taeil answered with a smirk which not reassuring Johnny in anyways.

“What am I doing with my life…” he muttered to himself.

  
Later on that night when Johnny is watching a television in the living room with Taeil, a loud yell was heard.

“_What?!_”

Johnny turning his head, searching for the source of the voice, it came from behind him. He looked up because the second floor is visible from the living room and so is Taeyong’s and Jaehyun’s bedroom doors. He’s wondering if the voice came from the second floor, whose is it?

“_No, Taeyong!_”

Okay, that was Jaehyun’s voice, he’s shouting again.

“Here we go…” Taeil hummed with an amused face.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just that I knew them so well and I’m sure they’ll have a fight tonight,” he grins excitedly.

“Shouldn’t you stop them then…?” Johnny frowned.

“Why should I? It’s amusing-“

“_FINE!!_” Jaehyun shouted loudly companied with the loud crash of him slamming the door of Taeyong’s bedroom, shooting deadly glares to Johnny as he looked down before rushing to his own bedroom and slamming the door again.

Johnny was gaping speechlessly while Taeil whistling, “wow! Did I just saw Jae’s bedroom door moving? How many months has it been?”

“What…?” Johnny mumbled much to himself because Taeil already walking up to Jaehyun’s bedroom.

The oldest brother knocking on the door, pressing his ear on it, “hey Jae~ Do you need me to help you clean all the dust?”

“_I hate you!_” a muffled scream heard from inside the room, eliciting amused giggles from the oldest, clapping mutely facing Johnny who’s on the lower floor.

A sound of a door opening and Taeyong came out with a tired face, “hyung please, don’t bother him okay?”

“Okay~ So what, can I sleep with you tonight?” Taeil asked with a smug face.

“Hyung-“

“No! You can’t!” Jaehyun suddenly jumped out from his room, “if you are then me too!”

Taeyong was confused, gaping as he faced with his older brother’s smug face and his younger brother’s expectant face. While Taeil mostly only want to amuse himself, Jaehyun sincerely want to sleep with Taeyong.

“Fine, do whatever you want…” Taeyong sighed in defeat eventually, gaining a shriek from the youngest. How old was Jaehyun again? Right, twenty two wasn’t he?

As Taeil walking into Taeyong’s bedroom, he’s winking at speechless Johnny who is frozen in his seat oblivious to the television’s noises.

_What the… hell…?_

  
-#-

  
The next morning he woke up feeling even more confused, reminded of his travelling plan which already derailed to the point of no return. He has stayed in that city longer than what he had planned, but he have to continue his work as he really need the money. He can’t deny that staying with these –_crazy_\- brothers is amusing for him, though he could never have a score with Taeyong since the youngest doing a very good job at repelling him.

It’s been a couple of months now since he’s working with the Lee brothers, to say he’s not feeling attached with them is a lie. Even with Jaehyun, who is making his life harder in every minutes, he could find some joy at being bullied –_no, not because he’s a masochist. And no, he's not one_-. The warm personality of Taeyong which can ease him and even made him forgive some of his bad past. The teasing and _I-don’t-give-a-fuck_ attitude of Taeil which makes him able to share some of his secrets and lift up the heavy burden.

He want to stay longer, more and more. He could give a damn about his travelling plan, if he could he didn’t even want to go back to where he was. But can he? He knows that he’s allowed to stay because Taeil basically didn’t care as long he got some help and Taeyong being a kind person he is, but Jaehyun? And it was not acceptance when they welcome him into the family, more of them doing charity to help Johnny the poor backpacker.

He sighed, deciding to let it all happen naturally, it’s no use thinking too much when it only make him feel sad and confused. He rise from the bed, grabbing a towel to wash his face and walk out the room because the bathroom at the first floor is a shared one.

Giggles heard.

Johnny halted almost instinctively, not knowing why, it was just giggles so why should he be wary? It was giggles of two persons.

“_Hey, what… doing?_” whispers heard but it was too low and far from where he was that Johnny almost can’t make anything out of it.

He slowly took a step further into the kitchen, not wanting for his presence to be known, why is he doing this? Isn’t this eavesdropping?

“_It’s okay right?_” Another deep voice of a whisper heard and Johnny recognized it as Jaehyun’s voice.

He steps further to the kitchen, making sure to tiptoe and not crashing or bumping into something around him.

“_If you do this… no use… to… you sleep in your own bedroom…_” A voice from before heard again and Johnny can be sure now that it was Taeyong’s.

“_Why not… him see?_” Jaehyun whispering even lower and Johnny by now can see the kitchen counter yet no figures of the two seen.

“…_on, you know why, we can’t-_“ the whispers change into giggles then it continue, “_hey, I meant it! Stop!_”

Johnny is wondering, who is this ‘_him_’ they were talking about? Was it him? He took another step closer but gluing his body to the wall at the corner so that he could peek into the kitchen without making himself to be seen. He's leaning in bit by bit slowly, until his eyes caught sight of the two brothers, it was indeed Jaehyun and Taeyong. What he saw shocking him though.

Taeyong was doing something on the kitchen counter, maybe chopping something or the sort while giggling and squirming playfully. Behind him was Jaehyun with both his hands on the counter trapping the older brother, his face was so close to Taeyong’s face.

Okay, maybe their brotherhood into skinship, but is what Johnny witnessing still in the boundary of being brothers? Johnny had no sibling, he was clueless of how brothers or sisters normally behave. But he was quite sure what was displayed in front of him right now is quite… too intimate for siblings.

Taeyong seem to flinch when Jaehyun nuzzle closer to the older brother, another giggles heard yet again from the both of them oblivious of the widening shocked eyes which watching them.

_Fuck, did Jaehyun just bite Taeyong’s earlobe??_

Taeyong hissing when Jaehyun getting lower to his neck, “_ah… Seriously Jae._”

“_We can’t… last night… Taeil hyung_,” Jaehyun whispering very close to Taeyong’s ear and Johnny can’t hear it clearly.

Johnny is screaming internally, _last night?! What last night?! You can’t what?! Is it only me or what they’re talking about is really dangerous?!_

Then Johnny hear a whine from the youngest brother, it seems Taeyong smack him on the head which caused Jaehyun to distancing himself from the older brother.

“_Why did you do that?!”_ Jaehyun protested with a voice above whisper.

“_Look… time, I don’t… seen!_” Taeyong hissing at the younger brother, stopping whatever he was doing –_which Johnny can see now that he’s chopping some vegetables-_.

“_Well, when we can? You won’t let me sleep with you unless Taeil hyung is with us! And that stupid giant obviously tailing you wherever_!” Jaehyun said with the same volume as before.

Johnny gulped dryly, _did their conversation really going that way?? Or is it only my brain being messed up by Lucas’s ridiculous idea?!_ Then he heard a door opening behind him from second floor, or more precisely from Taeyong’s bedroom.

_Shit shit shit shit!! That gotta be Taeil!! I can’t go back to my room but going forward is also bad idea! Shit shit shit what should I do?!_ Johnny cursed in his heart as big cold sweats forming on his forehead.

The footsteps sounds closer and closer, by now going down the stairs and Johnny gulping again, confused what should he do. He rubs his eyes harshly, then yawning audibly, or more like loudly to make his presence known before stepping forward bravely into the kitchen, pretending to be oblivious to the awkward atmosphere between the two brothers. Jaehyun smoothly turning himself and leaning his back on kitchen counter while Taeyong continue chopping the vegetables.

“Morning…” Johnny faked another yawn yet keeping his eyes off the brothers.

It’s not surprising that Jaehyun didn’t even bother replying, he merely scoffed at him and goes to the fridge.

Taeyong though, the ever kind person, turned around and flashing him a warm smile, “good morning Johnny, do you have a good sleep?”

“Uh… Uh yeah, yeah I am,” he smiled awkwardly when Jaehyun sit down to the dining table and Taeil appeared from behind him.

“Good morning guys,” Taeil greeted sweetly and sit down beside Johnny, eyeing him suspiciously, “what’s with you Johnny?”

_I’m surrounded with crazy brothers and two of them probably in a dangerous relationship and one brother is such a tease who only makes anything worse, yeah, I’m very comfortable_. Johnny smiled to him before answering, “nope, nothing.”

Obviously Taeil didn’t trust his answer, but he chose to shrug it off, “well, today is your first morning with us and café’s day off, do you want to do something?”

“I won’t,” Jaehyun said curtly.

“I didn’t ask you,” the oldest brother said sarcastically with a jerk of an eyebrow.

“Neither will Tae,” the younger added without looking to anybody.

“Who said that?” Taeyong joined in the conversation bringing a big bowl of salad while sitting down beside Jaehyun. “I would like to do something together today.”

“Seriously Tae?” Jaehyun asked in disbelief.

“Seriously Jae?” Taeyong replied with the exact same tone of the younger, which causing a frown to form.

Not wanting to witness any of these brothers drama in the morning, Johnny cuts in, “I have something else to do, sorry.”

Jaehyun immediately perk up, not ashamed being so openly grinning in happiness in front of Johnny, it’s no surprise no, but still it sting a bit.

“Too bad then, what are you planning?” Taeyong asked while pinching the younger’s cheek, scolding him wordlessly for being rude.

“I have some problem with my card, I’ll try to sort it out today.”

“I see… Well, maybe if you could to finish it soon we can do it later in the day? Maybe watching a movie together or have dinner outside?”

“Okay…” He smiled sheepishly to his crush, Taeyong, because yeah even though there is a whole Taeyong and Jaehyun going on he’s still crushing over the older brother.

It didn’t take long for Jaehyun to drag Taeyong away from the dining table, the younger clearly have other plans for them. And Johnny left alone with Taeil, sipping on his tea awkwardly not knowing what to say because the oldest have been staring suspiciously at him.

“What…?” he eventually asked and a grin formed on the oldest brother’s face.

“Judging from your weird behavior this morning, I bet you saw something confusing,” he said smugly.

Johnny curling his lips downward and shrugged, not confident to lie to the ever-knowing oldest brother, but it was enough of an answer for Taeil. The latter then standing up and giving him a pat on the back, smiling in amusement as he walks away.

“Have fun out there Johnny.”

  
-#-

  
Johnny went back in the early evening, wanting to take on Taeyong’s offer to have dinner together, _I know conscience, not alone but with the three brothers_. When he reached the front of the house, he noticed a big bike parked beside the old closed garage. It was a good bike but definitely look abandoned, whose was it?

When he tried to open the front door and found it was locked, he knocked yet there was no answer. He look around if there was any doorbell, but there was none. So he decided to go in through the café since he was entrusted with a spare key –_he always find it hard to believe that these brothers trust him that much since he’s only been with them for not too long-_, and surprised to see Taeil inside.

“What are you doing Taeil…? Are you alone?” He asked as he walks into the café.

“Oh you’re back”, the oldest brother look up from the papers he was looking at, “I was thinking if it’s possible to do delivery service since there’s a lot of customers asking for it.”

“Aren’t you enthusiastic…” Johnny said in awe and exaggerated surprised face.

“Hey,” Taeil smacked him with the paper, “what are you doing here anyway? Are you trying to steal something?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

Johnny scoffed knowing the older was only joking, “as if, the front door is locked so I figured to use the back door.”

Taeil simply hummed as a reply and continue to study the papers.

“Speaking of delivery service, why don’t you use the bike beside the house? It still seem good and I can ride it if you want.”

Taeil look up and for the first time since Johnny know the guy, he looked serious, “that bike is not to be used.”

The tense atmosphere and the man's serious expression made Johnny not to say anything, he just nodded and goes into the house through the connecting door in the kitchen.

The moment he walked in, he found it filled with dead silence, not a sound except from the buzzing of the fridge in the house kitchen. He think nothing of it though, he simply walk to his room and changed his clothes. He wonders if Taeyong went out with Jaehyun to buy something for the dinner because Taeil had suggested them having dinner at home rather than going to a restaurant, he said it feels more homey that way.

As Johnny came out from his room with a towel to have a shower after a long day, he found himself froze a few feet away from the bathroom. He could hear the sound of water running, someone is definitely inside, and more definitely that someone is _not_ _alone_. There are two echoing voices overlapping with the sound of water.

_Shit_, he cursed in his mind, not really understanding whether he want to walk away or keep standing there as curiosity building up inside of him. Because he knew where Taeil is right now, so it’s freaking obvious who is inside the bathroom.

“_Ah!_” a muffled moan heard and Johnny flinched.

_Shit shit shit shit! Seriously?! Is this fucking happening?!_ He run his hands in his hair in panic.

Giggles of two different voices heard followed by another moan and sultry voice.

“_W-wait… Not yet_…”

Johnny is trying his hardest to calm his breathing, hands waving erratically, _calm the fuck down Johnny, maybe they’re just massaging each other and it was somehow… yeah well, sometimes a massage is a little bit painful or pleasurable right? That explain the moans right? What about the ’_not yet_’? Well maybe the massaging got a bit too intense so he said that… or maybe because the other stop massaging but he wants it longer… yeah right._

“_Is it okay now…?_”

_Yeah, he’s asking about the massage, is the other ready for another massage? Shit I can’t tell whose the voices are thanks to the sound of running water_, Johnny thought with a deep frown on his face.

_“A-aah…! Ah!_” a long moan heard again but this time a groan followed at the same time, then it stop for a while until they start again continuously, both the moans and groans.

What really stressing for Johnny to hear was the slapping sounds of skin meets skin. It was too much and he could no longer deny what kind of activity is going on behind that door.

Is it possible for them to massage each other that they’re groaning and moaning at the same time? Is it possible for the voices to be that strained and continuous like that if it’s merely massaging each other? What kind of massage creating those kind of slapping sounds? Johnny thought again and again even though he knows it already but a part of him still want to vehemently deny it.

_No no no no no no no no! Please God noooo! Shit shit shit shit no! But they are- THEY ARE-!! Shit! THEY ARE FUCKING BROTHERS!!_

Johnny turned on his heel and ran away from the scene, unable to take it any longer as his brain wreaking havoc and heart feels tainted to the deepest hell. It was shocking, devastating, it was just… _Too much_. He keep running and running again not minding if his steps could be heard by the two lost souls in the bathroom, until he abruptly put to a stop by crashing into something warm, hard yet soft at the same time. It was Taeil.

“_Oof!_ What-“ Taeil got startled by the sudden crash and Johnny’s pathetic state, “hey what’s wrong with you?”

“I-I-I don-don’t know… I-I just…” he stutters while his hands swinging about behind him in panic.

A deep frown is evident on Taeil’s face, not understanding what Johnny was trying to say, he just know the latter is in a complete shock. Then it hits him.

“Ah…” the oldest leaned his head back in a manner like he understood the situation, “you saw them?”

“_What?_” Johnny asked with a high pitched voice.

“Well, did you saw Tae and Jae doing something?”

Johnny gaped with wide eyes, not believing what he heard, how could he asked that question with such calm face like it was the most normal thing in the world?

“Let’s go to the café first, shall we?” the oldest ushering Johnny to walk first and he follows quickly behind, making sure to close the door and lock it after.

There was a moment of silence before finally Johnny make any voice at all.

“Y-you… you’re okay w-with that…?”

“Well…” he shrugs, “knowing them since they’re shitting on the diapers I know how genuine their love is, so yeah… I’m okay with it.”

“B-but they are b-bro-“

“They are not blood related,” Taeil cuts in Johnny’s stutters.

The latter’s eyes widened even more with jaw almost touch his neck, “what?”

“The only ones related by blood was me and Tae, Jae got adopted when he was five.”

Silence filling in as Johnny trying to process the spoken words, then he asked, “you said… since diapers, then they’ve been together since kids right?”

“Yep, since Jae was five and Tae was eleven and I was fourteen.”

“T-then, isn’t still weird for them, I mean for you too? They’re practically growing up together! Blood related or not, the brotherhood is still there isn’t it?”

“Of course it was strange as hell, for me whatever it was, they’re my _brothers_ so of course seeing your own brother falling in love with each other is _weird_,” Taeil said which sounded more like a protest, “but precisely because they are my brothers I’ve learnt to accept it.”

Johnny couldn’t say anything, he couldn’t comprehend it after all. Wondering if all those years they’ve been together as brothers could change the brotherly love into another kind of love? How?

Taeil sighed at the sight of pitiful Johnny, “I guess I’ll have to tell you since the cat out of the bag now and you’ll be staying with us, it’s only fair to tell you.”

The oldest brother then walked further in the café and took a seat, gesturing to Johnny to do the same. The latter thought that the story will be a long one.

Taeil inhaled and exhaled deeply before he’s starting the story, “my mother had a very best friend back then, she was a strong single mother. She was far too stubborn and when it got too far at doing everything alone to support herself and her barely five years old toddler, she died without ever telling my mother how sick she had became. After that my parents agreed to adopt Jae, her kid. The café was already running at that time, both my parents worked in the café with some other part timers, so caring for Jae was trusted to us, Tae and me whenever my parents were busy.

“We were a happy family, everyday filled contently. But then just when Tae turned sixteen, our life became hell,” Taeil stop talking for a while, staring at his fingers moving about then staring at Johnny sadly, “you probably wondered why there were only us and no parents present in the house, right?”

Johnny could only gulped dryly at the question, because _yes_, he’s been wondering and now he’s not sure if he want to know the answer, he couldn’t handle Taeil's sad eyes piercing into his, although he could somewhat figured it out already.

“They died in fire, it was purely bad luck, a customer left a burning cigarette and somehow… somehow it caused fire and my parents was too late to realized it. They were trapped inside the café and by the time they were finally brought to the emergency room… They’ve already inhaled too many smoke and their lungs were burnt badly. They didn’t survive it. We did because we were at school at that time, but do you know what was hard to believe?”

Johnny shuddered at the angry tone and the eyes which brimming with tears staring furiously to him.

“They said that it was fucking _fortunate_ because we weren’t there, they said it was _miraculous_ because it was only the two of them instead of a whole family. Can you fucking believe that?” he said through gritted teeth and a tear rolling down his cheek in anger, but Johnny could only stare, he couldn’t say anything, it feels so wrong. It was already wrong enough to see the always free and indifferent Taeil to be that upset.

Taeil took a sharp inhale with suffering breath, but then he exhales deeply still with red eyes and full of tears, “sorry… I shouldn’t said that. What am I even saying when I should just tell you about my brothers,” he forced a chuckle.

“No, it’s okay… You never talk about this to anyone do you?” Johnny asked as his hands took Taeil’s hands and stroking it gently.

The oldest brother shook his head slowly, keeping his head low, “no… It was too much for us to even remember it. Nobody want to bring it up, so we just buried it deep in our hearts.”

“Maybe you should tell it to someone… Maybe then, the burden would be lifted even if it's just a bit…”

“Yeah…” Taeil nodded slowly, then exhaling once again before continuing, “I was… I was devastated at that time, we all were. But mostly Jae… He was still a child, yet to have any life experience but was old enough to understand what happened with our parents. At that time he still doesn’t know that he was adopted, all he knew was he lost both his parents in the horrible accident. He became a lone child, a lone traumatic child, pushed away everyone who came too close to him, denied every warmth given to him.

“I was twenty at that time, old enough to support myself, but social workers questioned my capability to support my brothers, especially with the way Jae was at that time. Tae and Jae was almost got taken away by another relatives, but I denied them, Tae and I didn’t want those bastards who said the horrible accident was miraculous to take care of my brothers, _oh hell no_. Tell me it was ego, but I don't care. I know they said it was miraculous because they were glad we survived, but still… Still it was not supposed to be said like that.

“Despite everything, I’ve got the custody of Tae and Jae thanks to our family lawyer… Really, I’m very grateful towards him. I’m happy to be able to keep my family, but still it was hard. The café was ruined, it was impossible to re-open without renovation, and so I searched for jobs. I was able to get it at some well known company, as always it started out with low pays and to fulfill our necessities I’ve got to take on other jobs. Of course I did it secretly or else I’ll be fired.”

Johnny couldn’t stop himself from gazing at the older guy in awe, the person in the story is almost like an entirely different person than the Taeil he thought he know.

“It was hard, very stressful and I could barely rest even at home. Seeing my condition Tae was determined to drop out from school and search for a job too, but I forbid him, _fuck_ I even threatened him…” he sighed at the reminiscent.

“How did you threatened him? Knowing him, he must be very stubborn.”

“I was using Jae as a threat… I told him if he drop out of school to get a job then my credibility to support them will be questioned, and then Jae would be forcefully taken from us.” Taeil explained with a sad smile.

“After that he never say anything again, he went to school obediently and tried his hardest to get the top scores. With me too busy with work, the one who ran the house was Tae, he did all the chores so does taking care of Jae. I could barely had any time for them, it was all work, work and work, it needless to say that Jae get attached to Tae much more than to me. I don’t even exactly know when did Jae got back to his previous state, not the traumatic child who seek solitude, but the cheerful and smiley kid. All I know it was Tae who saved him.”

“How… How bad was Jaehyun at that time?” Johnny asked bravely.

“How bad?” Taeil chuckled darkly, “he always cried whenever he was sleeping, haunted by nightmares every night, not a day passed without him screaming his lungs out. It was okay if we touch him when he just woken up from a nightmare, he would even touch you back. But if we tried to touch him any other time, he would avoid us, not allowing anyone to touch him, no matter who and he would always stayed alone at some corner doing nothing but stared blankly.”

Johnny mouth left open with aching heart at the image of a pitiful kid, he couldn’t imagine the now bitchy guy he know was in such condition before.

“There was moments when I could spared some time for them, I tried again and again to hold Jae but he would always avoided me or even struggled to break free from my embrace. Then Tae told me I shouldn’t do it like that, he told me to get back and shown me what I should do. Do you know what he did? He did nothing, he just stayed where Jae was and let him did his own thing and only approached Jae whenever it was time to eat, bath or sleep.

“But that was the key, at first I didn't get it, but then slowly I understood what Tae was trying to do. He made sure his presence was always there with Jae without violating his personal space. Slowly and gradually Tae’s presence was something which always there for Jae, to which he warms up to that _something_ which was Tae. Eventually Tae could touch Jae, then Jae became the one who was following Tae and later on Jae touching and interacting with Tae by his own will. It took Tae three years to get Jae back.

“And that was the start…” Taeil said with a warm smile, traces of sadness from before dissipating.

“The start of what?” Johnny asked dumbly.

The oldest brother rolling his eyes impatiently, “their love dumbass, did you forgot why was I'm telling you all of this?”

“_Oh._ Oh no…” Johnny let his head fall to his hands as he got reminded of the _scary_ voices from the bathroom.

“Should I continue?” Taeil grinned in amusement.

“Please…” Johnny groaned.

“So, at that time Jae was… thirteen? No, almost fourteen… Yeah, I guess he was that old when he already healed up and slowly getting attached to us. Actually, rather than saying Jae got back to his previous state it’s more fitting to say that he recovered as someone new, because as he heals up from the traumatic state and back again as a cheerful person, the memory and traces of that still lingers. We had to gain back his feelings, and this was what I thought played a big part in their relationship.

“Tae was always there for him, even when he got a job, he would still made Jae as his priority. And Jae as he was slowly getting back to his own feet, he started to trust people around him again, and of course Tae was the first one he came to trust. I guess it was this process of giving back his trust and the fact he was in the middle of puberty which catalyzed another feeling to develop.

“The funny thing was, or more fitting to say weirdly, at that time Jae still doesn’t know that he was adopted, yet still the feeling manifested. It was clear to see that he was very attached to Tae, following him everywhere, every time. He would always hug Tae every time he had a chance, but he would always retreated whenever it was Tae who initiated the hug, maybe he was overly self-conscious, although at that time I still didn't realize a thing and only understand it now after he told me about it.

“Then not long after that, I guess it was about a year or so… Jae started telling us that he wanted to take on a part time job, of course we said _no_, but then he went behind our back. That kid has always been hard to tell off ever since forever. It was then when he rummaged through our documents, as he needed it to get a job and that was when he found the adoption files… I can still remember how heartbreaking his expression was when he came to me to ask about it… It was beyond awful.

“What broke me even more was when later on after that, he told me the reason why I was the one he came to ask about the adoption rather than going to Tae, who was obviously closer to him. Because deep down a part of him was relieved to know they are not related by blood, yet a bigger part of him was confused, sad, betrayed and hurt because we hid it from him. It took him quite a long time to accept the fact, but what was eating him inside was something else.”

“…he realized that he’s in love with his brother, Taeyong…” Johnny muttered unconsciously.

Taeil smiled a bit sadly, “yeah… Part of it was, another part was… Do you know what he told me after that? He asked me, ‘_hyung, am I betraying your family?_’ Can you imagine how painful it was to hear him asked me that? He said _my_ family! It was like he’s a fucking stranger to us! And what about betraying? What the hell did he do? So I asked why, guess what he told me? He said that he’s in love with Tae hyung, at that time he still called him hyung…”

“No…” Johnny gaped.

“I was speechless, what can I do? I was beyond confused… So I told him that maybe he was only confused by the fact that they’re not really brothers and their closeness feels too comfortable. I could see that he didn’t really agree with me but in the end he said nothing more. But you know what? It took only one spoken fact to made everything I saw turned into lies. Every innocent little touches Jae did to Tae, became touches with another kind of purpose, every stares of Jae looked so wrong in my eyes and too intimate. Damn, I even got scared whenever Tae suggested Jae to sleep with him! Which Jae always caught on my fear and that made me felt worse!” Taeil roared.

“Wait wait, are you angry now or…?”

“What? No, I’m not…?”

“Okay then continue,” Johnny smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry I got too excited I was loud,” he laughed while looking back to make sure no one else is listening to them. “Okay where were we? …Ah, right, Jae began talking to me about his feeling… It took a few months later for him to finally told me he wanted to get out from the house, he was avoiding Tae to the point he won't even look at him. Ah, thinking about it now, it was funny yet also sad. I asked him why would he do that? He said that he couldn’t deny his feeling anymore and he was scared of it, just like what you said Johnny. He was also feeling guilty of how could he even have those feelings to Tae when he was practically his brother?

“He thought that being away from Tae could stop his feelings, he was ruining himself at that time, he was so thin and looked sick all the time, he was _suffering_. Imagine falling in love with the most important person in your life and it was the person you're forbidden to love, it was killing him within. Another reason why he chose to get out from this house was he could no longer keep lying to Tae of what was happening to him. Jae was so keen on running away, but I told him it wouldn’t solve the problem and only make it worse. I just can't trust him to be able to take care of himself with the way he was right then, so of course I denied him.

“Then he said it again, that he couldn’t keep betraying our family. What the hell was he talking about? How was it betraying? I still remember very clearly what he said to me then, ‘_I love him hyung, I know he’s my brother but now I can no longer see him that way, to me he’s just Taeyong, the man who I love. I’m betraying him because I'm supposed to stay as his brother, but I can’t. And I’m betraying father, mother and you because I love him, and I am a man, I’m degrading our family’_ he said…" Taeil taping his finger on the table with sad, blank eyes, "Life was so cruel to him, don’t you think?"

Johnny sniffed, incapable to formulate any words to what he's feeling.

“What, are you _crying_?” a teasing grin forming on Taeil’s face.

“No, I’m just allergic to dust…” he sniffed again, “after this Jaehyun can be a bitch however he want…”

Taeil laughed heartily, “be careful of what you said, it might come true!”

Johnny simply shrugged, “continue please…?”

“Well,” Taeil cleared his throat, “because he said that I had to scold him-“

“You scolded a broken hearted kid??” Johnny asked in disbelief.

“Not really _scolding_… Uh, well, I kinda yelled to him that he was wrong, he wass not degrading us nor was he betraying us. I was confused and tired at that time okay?!” He exclaimed when he saw Johnny narrowing his eyes at him full of judgement.

“Did he run away then?”

“Of course not! He had this kind, understanding brother, how could he?” Taeil snorted and pounding his fist proudly on his chest, “then I guess I said the one thing he has been wishing to hear, I said that it wasn't wrong of him to feel that way, he was in no way at fault, he couldn't help it. It took just that sentence and eventually he settled down and accepted his feelings. Then the next one in misery was Tae, hahaha!”

“Why? Did Jaehyun started to seduce him?”

“Yeah, he started to confess his love to Tae over and over again. Tae's face was so hilarious! He was so confused and in so much denial, he would confide to me about Jae everyday and it was the similar to Jae’s case. That he was the big brother and it was not possible for him to have that kind of feeling towards his younger brother. Although his feeling actually developed quite fast too because he knew Jae wasn’t related to him by blood since the very beginning, so I guess the guilty feeling wasn't as thick as Jae’s.

“But he was in denial for so long, he couldn’t bring himself to accept his feelings, the big brother part of him denied vehemently his other part who was simply _Taeyong_. It took almost ten years, ten _fucking_ years for him to finally accepted his feelings. Well, he was triggered after all…” Taeil shrugged.

“Triggered?”

“You saw the bike right? It was Tae's or previously was our father’s to be precise. He had wanted to pass it to me but because I didn’t really like motorbike, he passed it to Tae instead. Jae also like motorbikes, needless to say he fancied the bike, always wanting to ride it but Tae never allow him because it’s dangerous. You see, actually it’s not only Jae who is overprotective, Tae is also and sometimes he could be a whole lot worse than Jae. But Jae being Jae, he never listen and so he sneaked behind our back and ride the bike. You could guess what happened then, right?”

“He got into accident?”

“Horribly…" Taeil dragged a long sigh, "The surgery success rate was only twenty percent and even after the doctors declared the surgery as a success, he stayed in coma for about two months. And it took Taeyong exactly that for him to finally accepted his feelings towads Jae. They almost become a modern Romeo and Juliet, with the exception they’re in the same family yet still all the _drama_.”

“_Finally!_ I was starting to wonder when the fuck they’re going to be together throughout the story…” Johnny slumps his head to the table.

“Yeah… You only got the story of it, imagine me, I had to deal with them for all those years. Maybe that’s why when we were able to re-open the café I’ve decided to slack off a bit, hey I deserve it.”

“When did you finally able to re-open?” Johnny asked as he looked up.

“About... five years ago?” Taeil titled his head cutely.

“Oh, it hasn’t been too long… How long have they been together?”

“Two years,” Taeil shrugs.

Johnny’s eyes open wide as he gaped in shock and jolted to sit straight, “what?! Two years?? _It was only recently?!_”

“Hey… Mind your spit will you. Of course it’s only been two years, didn’t you hear me saying all those desperate years they have wasted?” Taeil wipes his face with his sleeve.

“Oh…”

“That’s why Jae hates you to the core, okay not _really_, but he did hate you.”

“Why? I’ve been trying to be kind to him, I even stop courting Taeyong and only watching him from a far…” Johnny whined.

“You’re not ashamed confessing your feeling to your crush’s older brother?” Taeil smirked.

“What’s the deal, it's just you… I bet you knew already.”

“Of course,” Taeil chuckled smugly, “you know what the thing Jae hates about Tae? Tae would always prioritize his role as an older brother before anything else, he did accepted his feeling to Jae, but he will always make sure his role as a lover didn’t overlap the brother role. And Jae hates it, the fact is Tae was starting to get better, his brotherly side was beginning to get suppressed by the lover side, but well… You happened.”

“What? Me??” Johnny pointing at himself in surprise.

“Yeah, with the presence of you around us, Tae unconsciously reverted back to his previous self, though not to the extent of denying his feeling but enough for him to be overly self-conscious with Jae. Remember the first time you start working with us and they had a fight? Tae told Jae to call him hyung right? That was the start. After that Jae was so desperate because Tae become distant again, Tae still baby him, but as a brother not a lover and that frustrates him.”

“Well, that explained all the drama and why Jaehyun seemed edgy all the time…” Johnny muttered while thinking back.

“And the other reason of why he hates you, you know it already right? It took years for him to finally got his _dearest_ older brother, no way he will let a stranger to steal Tae. Because well, yeah, let’s face it that even Jae know that Tae will have it easier to love someone else rather than his own brother,” Taeil giggles.

“So… Actually their feelings is not yet connected…”

“No, not entirely… The years of them being brothers is still holding them back.”

“That’s not how I saw it just a few minutes ago,” Johnny asked with a big grin.

“Well, they function well physically, it’s their minds which a bit haywire… But I can say they’re very close to solve it now.”

“How so? You said they’ve been distant…?” Johnny frowned at the oldest brother’s knowing smile.

“It was needed, just like before they need triggers in their relationship, this time it’s you.”

“I don’t-“

“Hey, there you are! What are you doing here?” Johnny and Taeil turned their head and found Taeyong standing not too far from the kitchen door, hair damp and face rosy, “I’ve been calling you hyung- Hey Johnny! I didn’t know you’re back already.”

“I guess we’re too engrossed in chatting,” Taeil standing up and gesturing Johnny to do the same, “we should start preparing the barbeque.”

“We are having a barbeque?!” Johnny exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes! We are!” Taeyong answered in an equally excited manner which caused Johnny to curse his pounding heart at the endearing sight.

_Didn’t I already decided to give him up?! Why are you reacting stupid heart!!_

When he walked to Taeyong, he saw Taeil staring at him with a smirk then give him a wink, like he always did.

_What the hell…_

  
-#-

  
Weeks later and yes Johnny still staying at the Lee’s residence, working with them at the café and all his travelling plans got forgotten. He found himself blending with the brothers well and they’ve also truly welcomed him now, telling him how their home is his home too. Just like Taeil told him their past, Johnny also told them his past, and it was what bonded them. Although the fact that Johnny knew about Taeyong's and Jaehyun’s relationship is still a secret. Taeil said that they need some more time to open up about their relationship to Johnny.

Other than that things still very much the same, Jaehyun still being a bitch to Johnny even though not so much anymore, sometimes the youngest brother even ask him to hang out together –_even though the day will be filled with throwing insult at each other, yet somehow it’s enjoyable now_-. Johnny also found himself getting over Taeyong, by now he didn’t feel anything when the two brothers being extremely close, though he’s still very much adoring the cute smile of the second brother.

And Taeil proven right again, Taeyong’s and Jaehyun’s relationship did get even more secured and settled later on. It stung Johnny a bit, but well, it’s actually warm his heart too to witness those two brothers being comfortable around each other considering their awful past. Now it becomes a daily thing for Johnny to saw them making out at break time in the kitchen, thank God Johnny was so clever that the stupid couple never notice his presence.

Taeil said that thing might get nasty if they realized Johnny’s presence when he caught them red handed. So the oldest brother have been suggesting his two younger brothers to tell Johnny about themselves from their own mouths. All left was for Johnny to pretend to be oblivious until the two tell him the –_supposedly_\- secret relationship.

Oh, there is another thing which is changing. Johnny found himself bothered by a certain someone. He still doesn’t know if he’s bothered in term of annoyed or _hotly_ bothered. He didn’t even know what is this person is planning for him, or if he’s only playing with him, because teasing people is kind of this person’s job. He was weirded out by the winking this person has been giving him, but now… he’s not exactly sure what to feel about that suggestive gesture.

One day though, the certain person decided to give Johnny more than just a _green light._

“You know what Johnny? The prospect for the oldest brother is better than the younger brothers, aren't you interested?” he said to Johnny with seductive eyes and tongue darting in and out languidly.

Johnny was done in by then.

And that’s how the ever wandering Johnny finally put a stop to his adventure and found himself a place to call,

_Home._

  
★✩★ The End ★✩★

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think about this story ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) insane enough?
> 
> Hit me up in my [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/RiriSailing?s=09)


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